Led Zeppelin · 1970 · Studio album
Led Zeppelin III tuning.
E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD. 7 of 10 songs are tuned differently.
Album tuning
E Standard
At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD.
MeasuredCommunity
Measured by TuneLit
At concert pitch
| Source | Offset | Equivalent A | Songs | Spread | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CD, Atlantic, original 1980s mastering (not remastered) | +1.6 ¢ | A 440.4 | 10 | Too few songs | High |
Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (community).
The acoustic album. The electric songs are in E Standard at concert pitch (the CD, an original 1980s mastering, measures about 2 ¢ sharp), while the acoustic songs bring Page's open tunings and pitch of their own: Gallows Pole about 31 ¢ sharp, Hats Off to (Roy) Harper about 32 ¢ sharp, Tangerine about 43 ¢ flat.
10 songs · 7 tuned differently
Every song, ready to tune
Tune opens the tuner in that song's tuning, pitch included. Play along opens the song player set to that tuning, so the track plays in yours. What the labels mean
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1. Immigrant Song
E StandardMeasured
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2. Friends
Different tuning
C2 A2 C3 G3 C4 E4Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 2 up a half step (B → C); the other strings stay.
Page's own C A C G C E. TuneLit measured it about 9 ¢ sharp, close enough to its album that the Tune button uses concert pitch.
Page said he played a Harmony acoustic tuned C A C G C E, a C-type tuning he made up. The community tab uses open C (C G C G C E) instead.
On its own, this song measures sharper: CD +8.8 ¢. Tune uses the album's A 440.
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3. Celebration Day
E StandardMeasured
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4. Since I've Been Loving You
E StandardMeasured
Notes
A slow blues in C minor, in E Standard at concert pitch.
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5. Out on the Tiles
Different pitch
E Standard −11 ¢Measured
Notes
TuneLit measured it about 11 ¢ flat (A ≈ 437).
Tabbed in E Standard.
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6. Gallows Pole
Different pitch
E Standard +31 ¢Measured
Notes
Page plays 12-string, six-string and banjo, Jones mandolin and bass. TuneLit measured about 31 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 448) from 0:45 to 2:15; read in 30-second slices, the first minute sits about 33 ¢ sharp and the rest about 20 ¢ sharp.
In standard tuning: the 12-string riff is built on an open A chord, with banjo and Jones's mandolin on top.
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7. Tangerine
Different tuning
E♭ Standard −43 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: Every string down a half step.
Tabbed in E♭ Standard, and the record sits about 43 ¢ below the A 440 grid, so the Tune button gives E♭ Standard −43 ¢. Doubtful: the tab's chord shapes (D, G, C, Am) only line up with the notes TuneLit hears if the guitar is a semitone higher, E Standard −43 ¢ (A ≈ 429). If the button sounds a half step low against the record, use that instead.
Both Songsterr tabs put the 12-string a half step down (E♭ Standard), playing D, G, C and Am chord shapes.
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8. That's the Way
Different tuning
Open G +11 ¢Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down a whole step (E → D), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 1 down a whole step (E → D); the other strings stay.
Open G about 11 ¢ sharp. Doubtful: TuneLit's semitone check hears the low string a half step lower (C♯), and the song's low notes center on F♯, not G. If open G sounds a half step high against the record, tune every string down a half step (C♯ F♯ C♯ F♯ A♯ C♯).
Tabbed in open G (D G D G B D) for the strummed acoustic part; the steel guitar and mandolin overdubs are separate instruments.
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9. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Different tuning
C2 F2 C3 F3 A3 F4Measured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down 4 half steps (A → F), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 3 down a whole step (G → F), String 2 down a whole step (B → A), String 1 up a half step (E → F).
The tabs disagree on the tuning; the main tab's C F C F A F has the low C that TuneLit's semitone check hears. Bonham plays spoons, Jones double bass.
The main tab uses C F C F A F, an open F with a high F on top. Another tab uses C G C F A D, and some tuning lists say open G.
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10. Hats Off to (Roy) Harper
Different tuning
Open CMeasured
Notes
How to get there from the album's E Standard: String 6 down 4 half steps (E → C), String 5 down a whole step (A → G), String 4 down a whole step (D → C), String 2 up a half step (B → C); the other strings stay.
Slide guitar in open C. TuneLit reads it about 32 ¢ sharp, but at low confidence, so the Tune button keeps the album's concert pitch; raise the reference toward A 448 if it sounds flat.
A slide blues in an open C tuning. The tab and tuning lists agree on the low C G C and differ on the top strings (C G C G C E or C G C E G C).
What the labels mean
- Measured
- TuneLit measured the pitch on an original CD or LP. The tuning name still comes from the sources.
- Official
- The band, a member, their producer or their guitar tech said it.
- Widely reported
- Trusted outlets, guides and tabs agree, but the band did not say it directly.
- Community
- From community tabs, or from players who tune along with the record.
- Disputed
- Sources disagree. The likeliest setting is shown; the notes name the other one.
Each song shows one label, the strongest it has, in this order. How we measure recordings →
Questions
What tuning is Led Zeppelin III in?
Led Zeppelin recorded Led Zeppelin III (1970) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD. 7 songs use other tunings or pitches, listed song by song on this page.
Why does Led Zeppelin III sound out of tune with my guitar?
Out on the Tiles sits about 11 cents flat (A ≈ 437), so a guitar tuned to A 440 clashes with it. The Tune buttons on this page set the tuner's reference to match the record, song by song, so you only tune the strings.